“Blogging is a waste of time.” Or at least that’s what I’ve heard from two individuals whose opinions are typically considered important. Now while I will allow them to keep their anonymity, I’d like to take a few moments to consider their perspective. Let’s start with some context. I’ll start by focusing on one individual whose opinion matters more to me. He is a respected author and is published often in a wide variety of respectable locales. His comments came in a room filled primarily with creative writers. I myself am not a creative writer, but his comments puzzled me. I thought blogs were a great modern equalizer. Turning ordinary individuals into journalists, philosophers, theologians, and basically allowing people a creative outlet for their writing. Sure many are junk, or made only to interest family and friends eager to discover that cute bundle of joy’s latest discovery or to view yet another picture of that adorable cat lounging in the sun, but amidst the noise some credible work has been produced. Plus, and perhaps more importantly, people get to create and produce in the hopes that others might find their creations useful. My only guess regarding the motivation for this gentleman’s advice was that perhaps he worried that able young writers would miss more prestigious publishing opportunities by distributing their work free of charge to the masses. Certainly in his case, his worthy ideas march down a well-trod path towards waiting readers, but what about the rest of us?
To be honest this man’s advice has paralyzed me for some time. Is blogging a waste of time? I’m not sure. He may be right, but this is my own attempt to deliver some random ideas to group of people who may find them worthwhile. In defiance or otherwise hear I stand. What can you expect to find here? Well this space is dedicated to no particular topic. It is simply a space for me to develop/practice as a writer. I plan to write on average about once a week and the topics will be as varied as the thoughts that roll around in my brain. I’d love to hear your thoughts concerning blogging and anything else so leave me a comment.